Footfall down at London Boat Show but sales up

The diamond anniversary London Boat Show 2014 attracted a total of 88,593 visitors across the nine days – 4,734 down on the 2013 event’s footfall.

The show,
which ended yesterday, attracted more than 400 exhibitors to the ExCeL exhibition centre and docklands
to display their products, with nine world debuts and 19 European and UK
launches, culminating in a total of 76 launches
at the show in total.

A spokesman for the British Marine Federation said the London Boat Show ‘presented the best of the marine
industry and good quality business was conducted at a time when the £2.905bn
industry is demonstrating optimism and confidence for the months ahead.’

Sales from this year’s show confirm the British Marine
Federation latest research, which suggests industry growth is returning to pre-recession levels, with some exhibitors experiencing
record-breaking sales figures.

Visitors enjoyed the show’s Adventurous Cruising Zone, where industry
experts shared their knowledge on topics from
navigation to boat handling, and the Watersports Pool saw people queuing to try free taster sessions in canoeing, stand up paddle boarding and
water walkers.

Murray Ellis, managing director of National Boat
Shows, said: ‘We are pleased with the success of the 2014 London Boat Show and have
celebrated its 60th anniversary with some of the best brands in the
marine industry.

‘Thousands of boats, brands, technology, training and free interactive attractions have filled the
nine days which has led to the positive feedback from both exhibitors and
visitors.

‘We are delighted with the high quality of visitors who came to this
year’s show and the number of exhibitors who have signed up to exhibit in
2015.’

Oliver Winbolt, head of marketing at Fairline Boats, said: ‘Fairline has
enjoyed another very successful London Boat show.

‘Our new layout has made
it easier for our clients to view our boats, while attractions such as the
Concept Cinema have been busy throughout the show.

‘Sales have been excellent
with the final total due to exceed 2013, further extending our forward order
book into late 2014 in some cases.

‘In addition, we anticipate a significant
number of retail sales during the coming weeks as a direct result of customers
who have been introduced to the brand at this event.

‘There is no
better way to start the boating season than by taking advantage of this ideal
sales opportunity in January.’

A-Glaze chairman
Michael Bollom said: ‘The London Boat
Show has been absolutely superb; our sales are 58 per cent up.

‘The people who have made
the effort to come here are the people who have come here to buy. We have seen
a lot of people and picked up two new distributors. We will definitely be back,
we have already signed up.

‘This show is important, it is always a good Show for
us. We would be very disappointed if it didn’t continue.’

Rallying together

With much of the country
experiencing unprecedented levels of flooding, exhibitors at the London Boat
Show joined forces to come to the rescue of Muchelney, on the Somerset Levels,
which is severely flooded to the extent that the entire village is now totally
cut off from the surrounding areas.

The boat, engine, lifejackets, safety and radio equipment, insurance and
transport of the boat to Somerset were all provided through the goodwill of
London Boat Show and British marine companies including ADPR, ASAP, BHG Marine,
Coleman, Event Broadcast, Garmin, ICOM, IPC, Marine Resources, Ocean Safety, PSP,
Rigiflex and Torqeedo.

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